Sita Brahmachari Scoops Waterstone's Children's Book Prize 2011
9th February 20111

Debut author Sita Brahmachari has won one of the prestigious children’s book awards in the country for her striking coming-of-age novel about life, death, friendship and love for a young British Asian girl. 'Artichoke Hearts' was announced as the winner of the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize 2011 by Children’s Laureate Anthony Browne at Waterstone’s Piccadilly on Wednesday 9th February. Browne described Artichoke Hearts as “a beautifully written book about family, friendship, grief and hope, which made me laugh and cry – sometimes at the same time.”

The daughter of a doctor from Kolkata and a nurse from the Lake District, Sita Brahmachari grew up in Shropshire, and has worked in theatre and education for over a decade. She now lives and works in North London with her husband and three children. Inspired by her ‘beautiful and bohemian’ mother-in-law, whose long battle with cancer was heartbreaking for her family, Brahmachari started writing the book as a way of dealing with her grief.

'Artichoke Hearts' was praised by the judging panel for the way it tackles the issue of death head on, treating it as part of the cycle of life and of growing up, and for the “effortless way in which it shows how inspiring grandparents and the older generation can be for children.” Beating off stiff competition from a nine-strong shortlist, Artichoke Hearts was published earlier this year, and has already received much praise within the industry.

Celebrating its seventh year, the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize was created to champion new and emerging talent in children’s writing. As well as a £5000 cash prize – one of the most valuable for children’s writing in the UK – the winner sees a significant boost in sales, and the promise of ongoing commitment to their writing career from over 300 Waterstone's branches
nationwide.

Artichoke Hearts by Sita Brahmachari
	Artichoke Hearts By Sita Brahmachari Published in Paperback (7 January 2011) Published by: Macmillan Children's Books Language English 336 pages ISBN-10: 0330517910 Guide Price: £5.99 Click here to buy this book today!

About the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize

The Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize is open to authors writing for 7-13 year-olds who have written two fiction titles or less, and is unique in that it is voted for by booksellers across the country. The nine shortlisted authors who competed for the coveted 2011 award were as follows:

• Artichoke Hearts by Sita Brahmachari (Macmillan)
• The Memory Cage by Ruth Eastham (Scholastic)
• Tall Story by Candy Gourlay (David Fickling Books)
• The Pain Merchants: The Healing Wars by Janice Hardy (Harper Collins)
• Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf by Curtis Jobling (Puffin)
• Fantastic Frankie and the Brain-Drain Machine by Anna Kemp (Simon and Schuster)
• A Beautiful Lie by Irfan Master (Bloomsbury)
• Mortlock by Jon Mayhew (Bloomsbury)
• When you Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (Andersen Press)